Just a heads up for those of you who have a dog and took my suggestion way back when on clipping the coupons because you could get treats for 98 cents.... well.... the economy has hit dog treats.
I went today to use the awesome $2.00 cesar treats, which Mia loves, and they are usually 2.98 --- resulting in me getting them for .98. Welllllll -- they are now $3.50!! Which means that I pay 1.50. Not gonna lie... I only bought one instead the usual 2 just because they were increased by 52 cents. Grrrrr so much for a good deal (which is still good but it's always cool to get something for under a dollar these days!)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
I'm going to be famous!
Kind of... :)
I have to start off by writing that I am currently sitting outside on my patio in a tshirt and shorts and barefoot. I am still kind of hot even in what I am wearing and I am squinting and wishing I had my sunglasses... yep:) I love it! Happy January 30 from TX!
Okay back to me being famous --- kind of. You see, Katie - the parent in my class who I adore, her husband is a writer. He has written books but mostly tv shows (trust me ... you have heard of his shows). Well he has a pilot show that just got picked up by Fox for the fall. As long as his remains in the top it will be shown in the fall!! I will let you know if and when it does air and the name of it! Now... here is how I am famous!
In one of the episodes they are talking about their Kindergarten teacher... and low and behold guess what the teacher's name is!?!? YEPPERS -- MS. BEREZOWSKI! Soooo awesome:) As long as the producers don't change the name (fingers crossed bc my name is pretty fabulous) I will have my name on tv!! whoo hooo
And also -- Derrick is famous! Back at the beginning of the school year, Katie and I were talking about cooking and how I do not participate. We got to talking about some of the favorite recipes and I said 'anything fried - Derrick wants to fry anything and everything'. She thought this was hilarious and apparently so did her husband! Another episode is inspired by Derrick's frying skills and they experiment with frying anything and everything!
So yep... I'm famous, kind of. I mean my name is ON A SCRIPT!! high fives all around to me:)
I have to start off by writing that I am currently sitting outside on my patio in a tshirt and shorts and barefoot. I am still kind of hot even in what I am wearing and I am squinting and wishing I had my sunglasses... yep:) I love it! Happy January 30 from TX!
Okay back to me being famous --- kind of. You see, Katie - the parent in my class who I adore, her husband is a writer. He has written books but mostly tv shows (trust me ... you have heard of his shows). Well he has a pilot show that just got picked up by Fox for the fall. As long as his remains in the top it will be shown in the fall!! I will let you know if and when it does air and the name of it! Now... here is how I am famous!
In one of the episodes they are talking about their Kindergarten teacher... and low and behold guess what the teacher's name is!?!? YEPPERS -- MS. BEREZOWSKI! Soooo awesome:) As long as the producers don't change the name (fingers crossed bc my name is pretty fabulous) I will have my name on tv!! whoo hooo
And also -- Derrick is famous! Back at the beginning of the school year, Katie and I were talking about cooking and how I do not participate. We got to talking about some of the favorite recipes and I said 'anything fried - Derrick wants to fry anything and everything'. She thought this was hilarious and apparently so did her husband! Another episode is inspired by Derrick's frying skills and they experiment with frying anything and everything!
So yep... I'm famous, kind of. I mean my name is ON A SCRIPT!! high fives all around to me:)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
And so education takes a cut in TX
Of course we all know that we are in a recession.... but never would I have ever thought in a million years that education would not have job security. Prepare yourself... I am stepping up on my soapbox.
Our nation is falling more and more behind in education each year. We are not the #1 nation in any type of academics, yet we feel that taking a cut, make that a major demolition, to education is going to help us? Education shapes our future. More and more students drop out daily from schools and no one is there to push them back in and keep them motivated. Education has taken a back seat to so many other things in this country. Why are movie stars giving all of their "hard earned" money to other countries to help fight their battles... why not give it to OUR country and fight our battle --- illiteracy and poor education! With class sizes getting larger and larger, even in the lower grades, how can we expect any child to learn at their fullest potential, and also how can we expect a teacher to enjoy teaching nearly as much with a bunch of chaos happening in the classroom!?! What kind of person believes that the place to make cuts is in education? Education is what builds new ideas, fosters creativity, encourages children to think, and builds our future! Education asks why... when everyone else says no. We as educators build thinkers and curiosity, yet in 10 years, with the way education is going, we might just build robots. Let's just sit the kids in front of a computer or tv and let them "watch" school. With the way things are going and the rate that schools are being closed I wouldn't be surprised.
So where does that leave me, a person who LOVES and ADORES her job (how many people can really say that and mean it)? Well, I'm not so sure. Texas is known to be a leader in education -- we don't follow the norm. Texas rarely makes major cuts in education, but this year they are. In my district alone they have already stated that they are cutting 158 elementary general education positions, and more in high school and middle school. They are threatening to close 9 elementary schools. So, like I said, where does that leave me? Well, again... not so sure.
Although I have 3 years of prior experience, I am on a 1 year contract until I have been with the district for 3 years. So I'm pretty sure that puts me at the bottom of the food chain. "First hire, first to fire" is the catchy slogan one person used (awesome). Then again, I did receive all "exceeds expectations" for my observation so that should count for something... right? Hm.... I have no answers at all. Of course people will retire, move, have babies and not come back, but 158 people? I hope so. But even then, what about next year? I feel as though I'm not safe. And so I sit.... and hope... and pray... that this long awaited, dream job that I finally received is not taken away from me. And if it is, I pray that I accept it and know that He has a plan for me. It may not be my plan, but it is a plan. Grad school possibly, or working with home schooled kids, or even waitressing. I pray that I do not view myself as "too good' for a job; I'm not too good for hard earned money. And so I fall back again on the verse: Be still and know that I am God.
Well..... I'll try to be still... but I can't promise it:)
Our nation is falling more and more behind in education each year. We are not the #1 nation in any type of academics, yet we feel that taking a cut, make that a major demolition, to education is going to help us? Education shapes our future. More and more students drop out daily from schools and no one is there to push them back in and keep them motivated. Education has taken a back seat to so many other things in this country. Why are movie stars giving all of their "hard earned" money to other countries to help fight their battles... why not give it to OUR country and fight our battle --- illiteracy and poor education! With class sizes getting larger and larger, even in the lower grades, how can we expect any child to learn at their fullest potential, and also how can we expect a teacher to enjoy teaching nearly as much with a bunch of chaos happening in the classroom!?! What kind of person believes that the place to make cuts is in education? Education is what builds new ideas, fosters creativity, encourages children to think, and builds our future! Education asks why... when everyone else says no. We as educators build thinkers and curiosity, yet in 10 years, with the way education is going, we might just build robots. Let's just sit the kids in front of a computer or tv and let them "watch" school. With the way things are going and the rate that schools are being closed I wouldn't be surprised.
So where does that leave me, a person who LOVES and ADORES her job (how many people can really say that and mean it)? Well, I'm not so sure. Texas is known to be a leader in education -- we don't follow the norm. Texas rarely makes major cuts in education, but this year they are. In my district alone they have already stated that they are cutting 158 elementary general education positions, and more in high school and middle school. They are threatening to close 9 elementary schools. So, like I said, where does that leave me? Well, again... not so sure.
Although I have 3 years of prior experience, I am on a 1 year contract until I have been with the district for 3 years. So I'm pretty sure that puts me at the bottom of the food chain. "First hire, first to fire" is the catchy slogan one person used (awesome). Then again, I did receive all "exceeds expectations" for my observation so that should count for something... right? Hm.... I have no answers at all. Of course people will retire, move, have babies and not come back, but 158 people? I hope so. But even then, what about next year? I feel as though I'm not safe. And so I sit.... and hope... and pray... that this long awaited, dream job that I finally received is not taken away from me. And if it is, I pray that I accept it and know that He has a plan for me. It may not be my plan, but it is a plan. Grad school possibly, or working with home schooled kids, or even waitressing. I pray that I do not view myself as "too good' for a job; I'm not too good for hard earned money. And so I fall back again on the verse: Be still and know that I am God.
Well..... I'll try to be still... but I can't promise it:)
Condo update
Another update for everyone. Closing still remains at February 28. All paperwork has been signed and mailed in as of yesterday ($72 later to send it priority... it will be there Monday morning). From the time they receive it they have a maximum of 45 days to process everything. Not sure if they mean 45 business days or just days in general but if you are thinking what I'm thinking, February 28 is way less than 45 days away.
I questioned our realtor (who does not like to be questioned at all) and she said this is her job and to please trust her. If we cannot close on that date it is in the contract already that we won't lose anything. Okay great... but time is winding down and I have to be out of my apartment by March 7.... which is also less than 45 days away. Hmmmm - now it is a waiting game, along with many other things going on in my life. All we can do is wait, be patient, and know that in the end it will all work out.
"Be still and know that I am God" - Psalms 46:10 --- a verse that my close friend lives by and I now am starting to appreciate more as I am needing it. Things are out of my control, and as Type A as I am and enjoy being fulllllllly in control.... I need to learn that there are many things that no matter what I do, I cannot change.
I questioned our realtor (who does not like to be questioned at all) and she said this is her job and to please trust her. If we cannot close on that date it is in the contract already that we won't lose anything. Okay great... but time is winding down and I have to be out of my apartment by March 7.... which is also less than 45 days away. Hmmmm - now it is a waiting game, along with many other things going on in my life. All we can do is wait, be patient, and know that in the end it will all work out.
"Be still and know that I am God" - Psalms 46:10 --- a verse that my close friend lives by and I now am starting to appreciate more as I am needing it. Things are out of my control, and as Type A as I am and enjoy being fulllllllly in control.... I need to learn that there are many things that no matter what I do, I cannot change.
Completed jungle room!
Remember back in December the awesome winter room that one of my parents, Katie, did?
Well initially was cleaned out because she wanted to have a muralist come in and paint a jungle scene and turn it into an addition to my classroom. Well it was delayed because thre were huge cracks in the wall and we needed to wait for the district to come out and take a peek at it.
Well, we got sick of waiting so she closed up the cracks herself, sanded it down, and got the muralist in. They started it 2 Fridays ago, and it was complete on Wednesday! It is amazing... words and pictures do not do it justice. It is the greatest gift I could be given and my kids are so excited to see it. Katie had her friend Emily, who is an artist, come in and do the painting. She has actually done one of the rooms in Lance Armstrong's house and his now lady (his life story confuses me) came by to take a peek at it to see if they want more painting done in their house! Below are some awesome pics of the room. I plan to use it as a special treat that some of my kids can go into if they are working hard, and also will use it for small group instruction since I can still see out through the huge window and see my whole class and keep the door open and hear them. I am in love with this room --- now hopefully it remains my room for awhile ... more to come on that one in another post. Until then... enjoy the pics of this amazing gift!
Looking in through the door. Initially there were not going to be any animals so that it wouldn't be monkey biased (that is my class's animal - we are the monkeys) - but the kids kept saying when are you painting the monkeys so it was a last minute addition!
Hidden elephant and bird and the sun rising
Window looking out into the room
A little farther back view to see the adorable furniture and rug from Ikea!
Well initially was cleaned out because she wanted to have a muralist come in and paint a jungle scene and turn it into an addition to my classroom. Well it was delayed because thre were huge cracks in the wall and we needed to wait for the district to come out and take a peek at it.
Well, we got sick of waiting so she closed up the cracks herself, sanded it down, and got the muralist in. They started it 2 Fridays ago, and it was complete on Wednesday! It is amazing... words and pictures do not do it justice. It is the greatest gift I could be given and my kids are so excited to see it. Katie had her friend Emily, who is an artist, come in and do the painting. She has actually done one of the rooms in Lance Armstrong's house and his now lady (his life story confuses me) came by to take a peek at it to see if they want more painting done in their house! Below are some awesome pics of the room. I plan to use it as a special treat that some of my kids can go into if they are working hard, and also will use it for small group instruction since I can still see out through the huge window and see my whole class and keep the door open and hear them. I am in love with this room --- now hopefully it remains my room for awhile ... more to come on that one in another post. Until then... enjoy the pics of this amazing gift!
Looking in through the door. Initially there were not going to be any animals so that it wouldn't be monkey biased (that is my class's animal - we are the monkeys) - but the kids kept saying when are you painting the monkeys so it was a last minute addition!
Hidden elephant and bird and the sun rising
Window looking out into the room
A little farther back view to see the adorable furniture and rug from Ikea!
Monday, January 24, 2011
House update yet again
Welcome to the ever-changing lives of Derrick and Katie and purchasing a home.
Yet again, plans have changed and actually in the middle of me typing this blog they changed AGAIN!
As I posted last week we are able to assume their current FHA loan which is awesome and saves us some serious dough, so we know that in the end this is worth all of the headache (we being Derrick because while he had vacation all last week he did nothing but deal with this mess).
Unfortunately, assuming a FHA loan is no walk in the park. It is a lot of phone calls, being on hold, talking to people via telephone but no one ever in person, talking to people who read off of scripts and can't really answer any questions, and dealing with people who do not use technology (they told us everything had to be done via "snail mail"... who does that these days especially with contracts that are time sensitive?).
So... the process itself from the time we receive "the packet" (this packet that comes with typed our instructions that we are to follow exactly... sounds mysterious) could last UP TO 45 days. We have yet to receive the packet mind you but should by the end of the week. When asked what we could do to help move the process along their response was: every case is different. Right... but since we are already pre approved for a loan from BofA will that help? "every case is different". Got it... but if you could give us some pointers as to what to prepare while waiting for the infamous packet... "every case is different" (notice the trend of how helpful they are?). The same trend occurred when we asked about payment and payment options.
Due to this lengthy process, which by the way has also been know to take as little as 16 days from the time the packet is received (depending on the case of course), we changed the contract up quite a bit. The major change was our move in date was changed from Feb 4 (so close) to March 1 (so far away). My immediate response to Derrick was; "omg (oh my god) we won't be able to paint before hand!". Derrick's response to that was, "that is the least of my concerns... please do not say that again.". Hey... just being honest - it bothers me that we can't get the major painting out of the way before moving in! I then started to think about how close we are cutting it. March 1 doesn't actually give us the full 45 days if we get our packet at the end of th week, and if we go much longer we are running into my apartment lease date being up (March 7). Yet again -- ugh --- we will have to make the move in 1 day probably rather than just taking things over slowly which I was looking forward to. I was stressing out and getting aggravated that this whole situation was out of my control, and I enjoy being in control or at least having someone to ask our 10,000 questions to, when I happened to fall upon this wonderful verse.
Now, I am not one to read daily devotionals although I wish I could say I was because when I do I feel very much at peace, but I do believe that God sends things our way when we need them the most. I love this sight because it tells you the verse but then breaks it down for those of us that need it. The verse itself I still can't say I understand fully, but the last paragraph really helped me realize that it is okay to not have control, someone else has it:)
Click here for the verse
So things calmed down for us and we had an awesome weekend. And like I said, as I was typing this our realtor contacted me and said that there are 3 more changes to the contract (good lord). One of them being that the sellers want the closing date to be bumped up to February 28, 1 day earlier. I'm guessing it has to be because they do not want to pay for the month of March. Whatever... as long as the paperwork is complete I'd move in on Feb 4 as originally planned!
You are now up to date as of 7:25 central time (time zone change mom) on January 24.... in 10 minutes things will probably change again!
Yet again, plans have changed and actually in the middle of me typing this blog they changed AGAIN!
As I posted last week we are able to assume their current FHA loan which is awesome and saves us some serious dough, so we know that in the end this is worth all of the headache (we being Derrick because while he had vacation all last week he did nothing but deal with this mess).
Unfortunately, assuming a FHA loan is no walk in the park. It is a lot of phone calls, being on hold, talking to people via telephone but no one ever in person, talking to people who read off of scripts and can't really answer any questions, and dealing with people who do not use technology (they told us everything had to be done via "snail mail"... who does that these days especially with contracts that are time sensitive?).
So... the process itself from the time we receive "the packet" (this packet that comes with typed our instructions that we are to follow exactly... sounds mysterious) could last UP TO 45 days. We have yet to receive the packet mind you but should by the end of the week. When asked what we could do to help move the process along their response was: every case is different. Right... but since we are already pre approved for a loan from BofA will that help? "every case is different". Got it... but if you could give us some pointers as to what to prepare while waiting for the infamous packet... "every case is different" (notice the trend of how helpful they are?). The same trend occurred when we asked about payment and payment options.
Due to this lengthy process, which by the way has also been know to take as little as 16 days from the time the packet is received (depending on the case of course), we changed the contract up quite a bit. The major change was our move in date was changed from Feb 4 (so close) to March 1 (so far away). My immediate response to Derrick was; "omg (oh my god) we won't be able to paint before hand!". Derrick's response to that was, "that is the least of my concerns... please do not say that again.". Hey... just being honest - it bothers me that we can't get the major painting out of the way before moving in! I then started to think about how close we are cutting it. March 1 doesn't actually give us the full 45 days if we get our packet at the end of th week, and if we go much longer we are running into my apartment lease date being up (March 7). Yet again -- ugh --- we will have to make the move in 1 day probably rather than just taking things over slowly which I was looking forward to. I was stressing out and getting aggravated that this whole situation was out of my control, and I enjoy being in control or at least having someone to ask our 10,000 questions to, when I happened to fall upon this wonderful verse.
Now, I am not one to read daily devotionals although I wish I could say I was because when I do I feel very much at peace, but I do believe that God sends things our way when we need them the most. I love this sight because it tells you the verse but then breaks it down for those of us that need it. The verse itself I still can't say I understand fully, but the last paragraph really helped me realize that it is okay to not have control, someone else has it:)
Click here for the verse
So things calmed down for us and we had an awesome weekend. And like I said, as I was typing this our realtor contacted me and said that there are 3 more changes to the contract (good lord). One of them being that the sellers want the closing date to be bumped up to February 28, 1 day earlier. I'm guessing it has to be because they do not want to pay for the month of March. Whatever... as long as the paperwork is complete I'd move in on Feb 4 as originally planned!
You are now up to date as of 7:25 central time (time zone change mom) on January 24.... in 10 minutes things will probably change again!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
New Orleans for NY's - part 2
On December 30th we woke up bright and early (as in 3:15am) to shower and pack up the car. We dropped Mia off the night before at a boarder so we didn't have to worry about her. We showered, packed up, and headed off to pick up Kyle from his house about 20 minutes away. Poor Kyle had driven all night from New Mexico to make it back in time and didn't get in till 1:00 am (he got about 3 hours of sleep). Luckily he had the whole backseat to sleep on the drive down there which is about 8-8.5 hours.
The drive was easy and we didn't hit any traffic. Derrick's grandma lives in Lake Charles, LA so randomly and very last minute decided to veer off route 20 minutes and stop at her house to visit. We visited there for a little over an hour, then got back on the road. We got to our hotel around 2:30/3:00ish and my friend Mike was already there, ready and waiting for us. We valeted the car (easiest way to park there even though it was $33 a day), dropped off our luggage, and Mike and I headed out immediately to the first bar of the day/night while the boys stayed back for Kyle to tie up some loose ends with work and then they would meet up with us.
We went to a bar called Lucy's, a surfer themed place. Mike insisted on a drink called "Purple Rain" - a frozen margarita with sangria on the bottom. Double yum!
Triple drink.... yep we had 3 of them by the time we left. (By the time the boys showed up we were finishing up 1, ordered the 2nd, then since you can drink and walk we ordered one for the walk). I believe this is where I made my first mistake - I should not have gotten "drinks to go". Oops:)
Our group the first day at Lucy's - bar #1
On Bourbon Street
Grenade bar
We then headed onto to many more bars.... many many more. One of my favorite places was 2 for 1 beers and a karaoke bar all in the same place!! Mike and I did karaoke to a Journey song... I cannot even remember which one - but it was a blast! People loved us (you always think everyone loves you when you're drunk) and we got the crowd going (or was that just me screaming into the microphone... oh dear).
I was on such a "stage high" that when we got done with our performance I quickly ran out of that bar and into a another one and at that exact second they were announcing that they needed someone to come up on stage for the Saints fight song and swing their towel to get the crowd going. UHH HELLLOOO - I could do that. I ran to the stage and hopped up there and yet again - got the crowd going while Derrick quickly ducked his head to avoid being seen with me.
Take note of the one band player to the left -- totally leaning away from me because I think I was almost hitting him
I got down and was so proud of myself and felt like a pure bred Saints fan by then that the rest of the night I walked around yelling "WHO DAT, WHO DAT" - (that is the Saints saying). Apparently you should not scream that when you walk into a relaxing piano bar .... I know this from experience. We went to a couple more bars and then decided we were pretty hungry, we hadn't had dinner yet.
Owning the city
This was around 8:00pm. as we sat at Lucy's for dinner I decided it was time for this girl to go home. Food did not sound good, and I was past the point of needing anymore to drink, so Derrick walked me home. I went to sleep and was woken up at 1:30. The boys had all gotten split up and could not find each other. Eventually by 3:30 we all were safe and "sound" (passed out) in our beds.
Now... call it the WT (white trash) in my but I definitely do book my hotels based on if they have a continental breakfast or not. Judge if you wish:) I woke up at 8:30 feeling amazing, remember I came home at 8:00 the night before, and poor Derrick knew that we were going to breakfast. What a trooper he was. We headed down for the breakfast and brought the boys up some grub if they were in the mood. Mike bunked with us for the night because it just made sense in the end rather than going back to his condo that he has in NOLA. As we sat around reminiscing about the previous night for about 2 hours I realized that I may have been a bit "much" the night before. When I thought I was "owning" New Orleans, it really owned me. I definitely made myself known on the town! On a side note... that bar that I ran up on the stage and got the crowd pumped... yea I made up my own instructions I guess.... Derrick said I was not to supposed to go UP on the stage, I was supposed to start a train around the bar. There were bars surrounding the band as in "do not come up here" but I climbed under them. Hahaha oh well! We finally decided to shower and head back out. The showers were cold (grrrr) I think because the hotel was just full but c'mon --- get it together embassy suites!
We went to grab some lunch, then had some recovery bloody marys which had pickled green beans in them - so awesome!
We met up with my sorority sister Ashley and her husband Joe real quick, went back, showered, got ready, and headed out for an amazing dinner before NY's Eve craziness began.
My college friend Mike and I
We went to dinner at a well known, awesome restaurant called K Pauls. I highly recommend it - although it is pricey it is well worth every bite. The owner, K Paul, actually has spices out that you can buy at the store and I hear they are awesome. Even better - he was at the actual restaurant!! We got a picture with them:) Yep --- another claim to fame for me:)
After dinner we headed out for our night. It was crazy there and actually the next day we heard that on a poll conducted, New Orleans was #1 for New Years for 2010. Whoo hoo - we were there. I unfortunately was not in the mood for another crazy night, my poor 26 year old body could not handle another 21 year old night. We went to many crazy bars, got some fun crazy masks, lost the rest of our group, watched the fire works, attempted to walk home but got lost, grabbed a cab, and got dropped off at the hotel.
Awesome mask I wore most of the night:)
Ashley and I in our masks
The streets were insane
Crazy packed
We woke up at 7:30am (the boys were not very happy and did not feel too hot the whole drive back, which left me pretty much driving the whole way back solo), and made it back to pick up Mia around 3pm. We grabbed her, dropped off Kyle, and came home to relax. Ahhh the adventures of NOLA.
To conclude here are some rules to live by if you ever go to NOLA:
1. Do not get your drinks to go.... you end up consuming double the amount
2. Do not drink the hurricanes.... I am pretty sure it is pure if you walked by a lighter you would ignite from all of the liquor in it
3. Do not go with a group of boys that continually make sure you have a drink in hand
4. Wear comfortable shoes... apparently I took mine off and continued to walk around and had the black feet to prove it
5. Eat before drinking
6. Do not go into bars that have stages... you will go on them
7. Remind yourself that you are not 21.... your body will hate you a lot the next day if you forget
NOLA was a blast --- a bit too crazy for me on the NY's Eve with all of the people but it was an experience!!
The drive was easy and we didn't hit any traffic. Derrick's grandma lives in Lake Charles, LA so randomly and very last minute decided to veer off route 20 minutes and stop at her house to visit. We visited there for a little over an hour, then got back on the road. We got to our hotel around 2:30/3:00ish and my friend Mike was already there, ready and waiting for us. We valeted the car (easiest way to park there even though it was $33 a day), dropped off our luggage, and Mike and I headed out immediately to the first bar of the day/night while the boys stayed back for Kyle to tie up some loose ends with work and then they would meet up with us.We went to a bar called Lucy's, a surfer themed place. Mike insisted on a drink called "Purple Rain" - a frozen margarita with sangria on the bottom. Double yum!
Triple drink.... yep we had 3 of them by the time we left. (By the time the boys showed up we were finishing up 1, ordered the 2nd, then since you can drink and walk we ordered one for the walk). I believe this is where I made my first mistake - I should not have gotten "drinks to go". Oops:)Our group the first day at Lucy's - bar #1
On Bourbon Street
Grenade bar
We then headed onto to many more bars.... many many more. One of my favorite places was 2 for 1 beers and a karaoke bar all in the same place!! Mike and I did karaoke to a Journey song... I cannot even remember which one - but it was a blast! People loved us (you always think everyone loves you when you're drunk) and we got the crowd going (or was that just me screaming into the microphone... oh dear).
I was on such a "stage high" that when we got done with our performance I quickly ran out of that bar and into a another one and at that exact second they were announcing that they needed someone to come up on stage for the Saints fight song and swing their towel to get the crowd going. UHH HELLLOOO - I could do that. I ran to the stage and hopped up there and yet again - got the crowd going while Derrick quickly ducked his head to avoid being seen with me.
Take note of the one band player to the left -- totally leaning away from me because I think I was almost hitting him
I got down and was so proud of myself and felt like a pure bred Saints fan by then that the rest of the night I walked around yelling "WHO DAT, WHO DAT" - (that is the Saints saying). Apparently you should not scream that when you walk into a relaxing piano bar .... I know this from experience. We went to a couple more bars and then decided we were pretty hungry, we hadn't had dinner yet.
Owning the city
This was around 8:00pm. as we sat at Lucy's for dinner I decided it was time for this girl to go home. Food did not sound good, and I was past the point of needing anymore to drink, so Derrick walked me home. I went to sleep and was woken up at 1:30. The boys had all gotten split up and could not find each other. Eventually by 3:30 we all were safe and "sound" (passed out) in our beds.
Now... call it the WT (white trash) in my but I definitely do book my hotels based on if they have a continental breakfast or not. Judge if you wish:) I woke up at 8:30 feeling amazing, remember I came home at 8:00 the night before, and poor Derrick knew that we were going to breakfast. What a trooper he was. We headed down for the breakfast and brought the boys up some grub if they were in the mood. Mike bunked with us for the night because it just made sense in the end rather than going back to his condo that he has in NOLA. As we sat around reminiscing about the previous night for about 2 hours I realized that I may have been a bit "much" the night before. When I thought I was "owning" New Orleans, it really owned me. I definitely made myself known on the town! On a side note... that bar that I ran up on the stage and got the crowd pumped... yea I made up my own instructions I guess.... Derrick said I was not to supposed to go UP on the stage, I was supposed to start a train around the bar. There were bars surrounding the band as in "do not come up here" but I climbed under them. Hahaha oh well! We finally decided to shower and head back out. The showers were cold (grrrr) I think because the hotel was just full but c'mon --- get it together embassy suites!
We went to grab some lunch, then had some recovery bloody marys which had pickled green beans in them - so awesome!
We met up with my sorority sister Ashley and her husband Joe real quick, went back, showered, got ready, and headed out for an amazing dinner before NY's Eve craziness began.
My college friend Mike and I
We went to dinner at a well known, awesome restaurant called K Pauls. I highly recommend it - although it is pricey it is well worth every bite. The owner, K Paul, actually has spices out that you can buy at the store and I hear they are awesome. Even better - he was at the actual restaurant!! We got a picture with them:) Yep --- another claim to fame for me:)
After dinner we headed out for our night. It was crazy there and actually the next day we heard that on a poll conducted, New Orleans was #1 for New Years for 2010. Whoo hoo - we were there. I unfortunately was not in the mood for another crazy night, my poor 26 year old body could not handle another 21 year old night. We went to many crazy bars, got some fun crazy masks, lost the rest of our group, watched the fire works, attempted to walk home but got lost, grabbed a cab, and got dropped off at the hotel.
Awesome mask I wore most of the night:)
Ashley and I in our masks
The streets were insane
Crazy packed
We woke up at 7:30am (the boys were not very happy and did not feel too hot the whole drive back, which left me pretty much driving the whole way back solo), and made it back to pick up Mia around 3pm. We grabbed her, dropped off Kyle, and came home to relax. Ahhh the adventures of NOLA.
To conclude here are some rules to live by if you ever go to NOLA:
1. Do not get your drinks to go.... you end up consuming double the amount
2. Do not drink the hurricanes.... I am pretty sure it is pure if you walked by a lighter you would ignite from all of the liquor in it
3. Do not go with a group of boys that continually make sure you have a drink in hand
4. Wear comfortable shoes... apparently I took mine off and continued to walk around and had the black feet to prove it
5. Eat before drinking
6. Do not go into bars that have stages... you will go on them
7. Remind yourself that you are not 21.... your body will hate you a lot the next day if you forget
NOLA was a blast --- a bit too crazy for me on the NY's Eve with all of the people but it was an experience!!
New Orleans for NY's - part 1
Do you ever think about the "old times" or look at pictures of your kids (not me) or younger cousins (me) and think to yourself.... man, I wish I could be young again. Not like baby young or little kid young, but new to college parties and/or new to being 21. Where parties and fun is all you think about?? ... Yea... me neither... but apparently when we went to New Orleans for New Year's I pretended to be 21 again and celebrated like there was no tomorrow.
Let's back up to the beginning of our New Year's experience
For Derrick and I, New Years has always been an important holiday. No, not because it is a wild and crazy time, or because we always dress up and poor Derrick has to wear something that I hunt long and hard for that matches me so that we look good in pictures (yes... this really does happen whenever we go on vacation... whatever judge if you want but he just goes with it and I love how we look all matchy-matchy) but because this is when we had our first date. Back in 2007, Derrick came to visit our mutual friend Danielle in Charlotte. I was "suckered" into hanging out with them, ended up hanging out all weekend, and made plans with Derrick to do something awesome for NY's (it was around the beginning of December at this time). We agreed on San Francisco and there was a big group of us that were going to buddy pass (pay $150 round trip to fly stand by to get out there) it out there and then stay out in San Fran for 2 days and enjoy NY's. I didn't see Derrick again until a couple days after Christmas when we he flew to BWI (Baltimore, MD) and I picked him up at night and we drove through the night to Charlotte. We did some NY's shopping the next day, and then the following day woke up super early and ventured out to San Fran. Because I was flying with Derrick I had a better chance of getting on the flight, although it was a lot of sitting, waiting, and commuting to different cities, we eventually made it out there. Unfortunately, no one else from the group did. One of the girls never made it out of Charlotte, one only made it to Houston and had to turn around, the others ended up backing out. So there we were, only ever hanging out face to face for 4 days prior to this and now we were alone, across the country, in San Francisco, hoping we would get along well enough to survive this trip. Well, we survived:)
Us in 2007 - my how we have changed
We have since spent NY's in New York City (08),
New York City - we did a dinner/all you can drink cruise on the Hudson Bay which was freezing while waiting outside to get on the boat (a mere 17 degrees was the actual temperature) but it was awesome once we were on the boat seeing the Statue of Liberty from the water, going under the bridges at night, and seeing the fireworks on the water.
Our group for NY's in New York - Derrick being "special"
Orlando (09)
Because we were both in Florida for Christmas this made the most sense. Also, we got to spend NY's with Derrick's brother and sister and our friends Danielle and Rob again - who we spent NY's in New York with
Our group for NY's in Orlando
and now New Orleans (10).
I know I know... we don't match - don't get me started
Our group on Bourbon street -- sorry it is blurry and no, I do not know the random girl on the right side... disregard her:)
Where will we go next? As Derrick likes to say... the possibilities are endless (we are both keen on Seattle right now).
Well, for NY's this year I was planning on taking Derrick on a cruise for a late birthday/Christmas present. The cruise ended up being wickedly expensive so we opted to delay it until Spring Break (probably won't happen for that time either now due to the condo timing... more to come on that later). Plus, since it is so stressful and hard to fly during the holiday season I suggested New Orleans. We could drive there, and a bonus perk I knew someone from college to who lives in Baton rouge who was going to be in NOLA and my sorority sister Ashley, who got married in Charleston this year, and her husband were going down. PERFECT! So NOLA was the decision. Last minute our friend Kyle also joined us, which was nice to help bring down the price of the hotel and the room was a suite so he had his own section. Perfection again.
Okay... now that the background is complete let's get onto the juicy good stuff.... where Katie made a name for herself in NOLA.
Because this post took way much more time/words than I had planned I will continue it in part 2 just to break it up... :)
Let's back up to the beginning of our New Year's experience
For Derrick and I, New Years has always been an important holiday. No, not because it is a wild and crazy time, or because we always dress up and poor Derrick has to wear something that I hunt long and hard for that matches me so that we look good in pictures (yes... this really does happen whenever we go on vacation... whatever judge if you want but he just goes with it and I love how we look all matchy-matchy) but because this is when we had our first date. Back in 2007, Derrick came to visit our mutual friend Danielle in Charlotte. I was "suckered" into hanging out with them, ended up hanging out all weekend, and made plans with Derrick to do something awesome for NY's (it was around the beginning of December at this time). We agreed on San Francisco and there was a big group of us that were going to buddy pass (pay $150 round trip to fly stand by to get out there) it out there and then stay out in San Fran for 2 days and enjoy NY's. I didn't see Derrick again until a couple days after Christmas when we he flew to BWI (Baltimore, MD) and I picked him up at night and we drove through the night to Charlotte. We did some NY's shopping the next day, and then the following day woke up super early and ventured out to San Fran. Because I was flying with Derrick I had a better chance of getting on the flight, although it was a lot of sitting, waiting, and commuting to different cities, we eventually made it out there. Unfortunately, no one else from the group did. One of the girls never made it out of Charlotte, one only made it to Houston and had to turn around, the others ended up backing out. So there we were, only ever hanging out face to face for 4 days prior to this and now we were alone, across the country, in San Francisco, hoping we would get along well enough to survive this trip. Well, we survived:)
Us in 2007 - my how we have changed
We have since spent NY's in New York City (08),
New York City - we did a dinner/all you can drink cruise on the Hudson Bay which was freezing while waiting outside to get on the boat (a mere 17 degrees was the actual temperature) but it was awesome once we were on the boat seeing the Statue of Liberty from the water, going under the bridges at night, and seeing the fireworks on the water.
Our group for NY's in New York - Derrick being "special"
Orlando (09)
Because we were both in Florida for Christmas this made the most sense. Also, we got to spend NY's with Derrick's brother and sister and our friends Danielle and Rob again - who we spent NY's in New York with
Our group for NY's in Orlando
and now New Orleans (10).
I know I know... we don't match - don't get me started
Our group on Bourbon street -- sorry it is blurry and no, I do not know the random girl on the right side... disregard her:)
Where will we go next? As Derrick likes to say... the possibilities are endless (we are both keen on Seattle right now).
Well, for NY's this year I was planning on taking Derrick on a cruise for a late birthday/Christmas present. The cruise ended up being wickedly expensive so we opted to delay it until Spring Break (probably won't happen for that time either now due to the condo timing... more to come on that later). Plus, since it is so stressful and hard to fly during the holiday season I suggested New Orleans. We could drive there, and a bonus perk I knew someone from college to who lives in Baton rouge who was going to be in NOLA and my sorority sister Ashley, who got married in Charleston this year, and her husband were going down. PERFECT! So NOLA was the decision. Last minute our friend Kyle also joined us, which was nice to help bring down the price of the hotel and the room was a suite so he had his own section. Perfection again.
Okay... now that the background is complete let's get onto the juicy good stuff.... where Katie made a name for herself in NOLA.
Because this post took way much more time/words than I had planned I will continue it in part 2 just to break it up... :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I can sew!
Well... I can TRY TO SEW:) On Saturday while Derrick and I were looking at JoAnn's for fabric for our curtains I picked up some cheap, ugly fabric to practice making curtains to give Derrick an example of what kind of curtains I wanted to make and to give myself a good idea of how much fabric we would need. I also picked up some jersey knit navy blue fabric to make a scarf I saw on one of the blogs I have become obsessed with.
Well I made the curtains -- they were crooked and the stitching kind of went up and down like mountains and valleys but... I made them fit around a curtain pole which I was so proud of! I figured out what went wrong and actually even better... I want to put excess fabric (about 8-12 inches) along the bottom to bunch up so no one would be able to see if my stitches aren't straight (adds character huh?) and also across the top it will be covered up by the pelmet box. No worries there:)
Now about that scarf.... apparently I did some miscalculations. As I was pinning up the pieces of the scarf (it was intended to be pleated) Derrick says to me: looks a little short doesn't it? He got the evil eye from me and something along the lines of me saying 'what do you know?' - although I thought it was looking kind of short too. About 2 minutes later Derrick recovered by saying "oops... I didn't see you sitting on some... definitely looks long enough." hahaha love his failed attempt. So off I went pinning and then began sewing. It was tough with a lot of lifting and turning corners, but it was so fun! I also forgot to pick up navy blue thread, so I made the scarf with white thread. Awesome contrasting colors hahaha - it really didn't look terrible. Unfortunately... 30 inches makes a huge difference when it comes to sewing and somehow I miscalculated and well... it is too short. Hmmmm -- I'm going to see if I can make something else with it or make the pleats smaller and see if that will help.
So without further ado.... the photos of me making and sewing my first time ever and my failed attempt at a scarf (but I will say if I can get this scarf thing figured out some of you are getting them for Christmas next year because I love them!!)
I like the texture... remember this once was just plain navy blue fabric:) not too shabby for attempt #1
Fail... a little too short to wrap around my neck and the pleats are a little big but I made that:) white stitching and all!
Making practice curtains - don't worry this is not the real fabric we are using! Measuring everything out to cut it "straight" -- I have decided that I need a wheel thingy cutter (those of you that sew know the real name of it but it looks like a pizza cutter) and a cutting board thingy to cut on because I just do not know how to cut straight
Sewing machine time! Off and running:)
I love it - I am currently obsessed!! I plan on taking classes in the summer to learn how to make some PJ pants or a new robe (currently that is what is advertised by JoAnn's hahaha - maybe new PJ's for everyone for Christmas?)
Well I made the curtains -- they were crooked and the stitching kind of went up and down like mountains and valleys but... I made them fit around a curtain pole which I was so proud of! I figured out what went wrong and actually even better... I want to put excess fabric (about 8-12 inches) along the bottom to bunch up so no one would be able to see if my stitches aren't straight (adds character huh?) and also across the top it will be covered up by the pelmet box. No worries there:)
Now about that scarf.... apparently I did some miscalculations. As I was pinning up the pieces of the scarf (it was intended to be pleated) Derrick says to me: looks a little short doesn't it? He got the evil eye from me and something along the lines of me saying 'what do you know?' - although I thought it was looking kind of short too. About 2 minutes later Derrick recovered by saying "oops... I didn't see you sitting on some... definitely looks long enough." hahaha love his failed attempt. So off I went pinning and then began sewing. It was tough with a lot of lifting and turning corners, but it was so fun! I also forgot to pick up navy blue thread, so I made the scarf with white thread. Awesome contrasting colors hahaha - it really didn't look terrible. Unfortunately... 30 inches makes a huge difference when it comes to sewing and somehow I miscalculated and well... it is too short. Hmmmm -- I'm going to see if I can make something else with it or make the pleats smaller and see if that will help.
So without further ado.... the photos of me making and sewing my first time ever and my failed attempt at a scarf (but I will say if I can get this scarf thing figured out some of you are getting them for Christmas next year because I love them!!)
I like the texture... remember this once was just plain navy blue fabric:) not too shabby for attempt #1
Fail... a little too short to wrap around my neck and the pleats are a little big but I made that:) white stitching and all!
Making practice curtains - don't worry this is not the real fabric we are using! Measuring everything out to cut it "straight" -- I have decided that I need a wheel thingy cutter (those of you that sew know the real name of it but it looks like a pizza cutter) and a cutting board thingy to cut on because I just do not know how to cut straight
Sewing machine time! Off and running:)
I love it - I am currently obsessed!! I plan on taking classes in the summer to learn how to make some PJ pants or a new robe (currently that is what is advertised by JoAnn's hahaha - maybe new PJ's for everyone for Christmas?)
Assumable approved!
Whoo hooo!! Just got word that we can assume the current sellers FHA loan! This is huge for us! This means that we get to keep our interest rate low and won't need to bring nearly as much to closing:) It cuts out the middle man pretty much when you apply for the loan... no processing or any of that jazz.
Yay yay yay!! We are happy and things are looking great for us:)
Now we just have to wait and see how long it takes to take over their loan to see if closing will remain on Feb 4th or if we will need to push it back a bit. And so we wait... :)
Yay yay yay!! We are happy and things are looking great for us:)
Now we just have to wait and see how long it takes to take over their loan to see if closing will remain on Feb 4th or if we will need to push it back a bit. And so we wait... :)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Ice skating!
Everyone keeps saying to me: well it just can't feel like winter in TX -- it's too warm. And I keep saying: true... it's awesome! We get the benefits of it looking wintery (ie: Christmas lights are up and out but we don't have to bundle up to go see them... we can enjoy them while eating outside) without all of the frigid temperatures. Another point proven yesterday when we went ice skating. Yepp --- without winter coats or ski pants we went ice skating.
The largest Whole Foods in the world is in Austin (it's where their headquarters are) and in the winter Whole Foods brings an ice skating rink to Austin! It is on the top of the store and it overlooks downtown streets. It was SUPER small (like skate 4 times and you're at the other end) but it served its purpose and they had music bumping. It was a fun mid-day adventure for us. Here's some pics to be jealous of because we went ice skating in 50 degree weather... yep:)
Getting our skates on and ready to head onto the ice!
Skating around :)
picture perfect:)
The largest Whole Foods in the world is in Austin (it's where their headquarters are) and in the winter Whole Foods brings an ice skating rink to Austin! It is on the top of the store and it overlooks downtown streets. It was SUPER small (like skate 4 times and you're at the other end) but it served its purpose and they had music bumping. It was a fun mid-day adventure for us. Here's some pics to be jealous of because we went ice skating in 50 degree weather... yep:)
Getting our skates on and ready to head onto the ice!
Skating around :)
picture perfect:)
New paint/fabric ideas
Since the beginning of this house hunt my main motivation has been decorating. All I want to do is decorate the house and maybe find my new hidden talent (is it a talent if you take other people's ideas and mesh them with yours? We all get our ideas from somewhere...). So once we found out about our condo my mind went into crazy decorating overload. I want this and this and this and this and want to do that and that and that and that and . SCREEEEECCHHHHHH (coming to an abrupt halt).
That abrupt halt was caused by Derrick... the boyfriend who I would have THOUGHT cared less about decorating and would have had NO SAY. Wishful thinking...
Derrick wants a say in everything... down to the curtain design (dude... I can only make 1 type of curtain, sew at the top, sew at the bottom, nothing fancy here).
So initially I posted those awesome color ideas and was sooo excited... Derrick shot them down. Shocker (he is very picky about everything which in the end always turns out for the good but when I have an idea and it gets nixed --- this girl is not happy).
On Saturday we had a very adult 2 hours .... we went to Home Depot and looked at paint swatches (okay really we just went and walked down the paint isle grabbing EVERY SINGLE paint swatch and booklet you could grab....we seriously have an insane collection). Then we went to JoAnn Fabric and looked at fabric and at examples of patterns of curtains (I'm not following them but he needs a visual because he can't picture anything in his mind). Here is what we came up with and I'm not going to lie - I love it!
In the living room we plan to paint the walls a darker creme color, the crown molding is white and at first we thought it might look weird but thanks to our handy collection of paint swatches and ideas we saw an example of that. Derrick really wants to paint the ceilings and I love that look. So we plan on painting the ceilings a lighter shade of robin's egg blue (not the real color name but if you are NOT like Derrick you can get a good visual) - like the outer color of the blue flower shown below. My couch and furniture is light tan and dark brown. The best part is the curtains, which will compliment the blue ceiling. We want to do gray curtains but on top of the gray curtains we plan to make a pelmet box example click here out of this fabric:
Then we will have curtains hanging down under the pelmet box just like how the printed ones are shown in the picture of the example. Ours will be the opposite of how the picture shows - pattern on the pelmet box, solid color on the curtains. Also, our pelmet box we want to be very simple and just straight across, no design on it. So awesome and I love that we came to an agreement on the fabric!
We both agree on gray walls in the master bedroom and yellow as an accent (maybe yellow ceiling) and we know how we want to do the curtains (it is a bay window so there are 2 skinny windows and then the sliding glass door window) but that will be another day of heading to JoAnn's and picking out that fabric.
That abrupt halt was caused by Derrick... the boyfriend who I would have THOUGHT cared less about decorating and would have had NO SAY. Wishful thinking...
Derrick wants a say in everything... down to the curtain design (dude... I can only make 1 type of curtain, sew at the top, sew at the bottom, nothing fancy here).
So initially I posted those awesome color ideas and was sooo excited... Derrick shot them down. Shocker (he is very picky about everything which in the end always turns out for the good but when I have an idea and it gets nixed --- this girl is not happy).
On Saturday we had a very adult 2 hours .... we went to Home Depot and looked at paint swatches (okay really we just went and walked down the paint isle grabbing EVERY SINGLE paint swatch and booklet you could grab....we seriously have an insane collection). Then we went to JoAnn Fabric and looked at fabric and at examples of patterns of curtains (I'm not following them but he needs a visual because he can't picture anything in his mind). Here is what we came up with and I'm not going to lie - I love it!
In the living room we plan to paint the walls a darker creme color, the crown molding is white and at first we thought it might look weird but thanks to our handy collection of paint swatches and ideas we saw an example of that. Derrick really wants to paint the ceilings and I love that look. So we plan on painting the ceilings a lighter shade of robin's egg blue (not the real color name but if you are NOT like Derrick you can get a good visual) - like the outer color of the blue flower shown below. My couch and furniture is light tan and dark brown. The best part is the curtains, which will compliment the blue ceiling. We want to do gray curtains but on top of the gray curtains we plan to make a pelmet box example click here out of this fabric:
Then we will have curtains hanging down under the pelmet box just like how the printed ones are shown in the picture of the example. Ours will be the opposite of how the picture shows - pattern on the pelmet box, solid color on the curtains. Also, our pelmet box we want to be very simple and just straight across, no design on it. So awesome and I love that we came to an agreement on the fabric!We both agree on gray walls in the master bedroom and yellow as an accent (maybe yellow ceiling) and we know how we want to do the curtains (it is a bay window so there are 2 skinny windows and then the sliding glass door window) but that will be another day of heading to JoAnn's and picking out that fabric.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
House as it stands currently - boring blog
**Warning - this blog is not funny nor is it exciting - but it will bring you fully up-to-date**
From the beginning of this house hunt I have tried my hardest to not say tooooo much about finding a place or not because I didn't want to jynx myself or get my hopes up. Well once this offer went through on the condo I couldn't help it! It was/is so exciting. I thought for sure the hardest part was over -- all we would have left to do was show up at closing and sign some papers (actually... I didn't even know we showed up, I thought once we signed the contract after the offer was accepted that was all.... oh the things you learn!)
It is amazing to me how many things have to get done all in a matter of a month before closing. Setting up the inspection was the first thing. Derrick wanted to go through with the inspector which was nice for him to be able to hear the guy really scope out everything. Everything came back ready for move in with some minor suggestions. One suggestion being the water heater - although it was okay currently we still wanted to get this fixed because that is just not something to mess around with (whoever installed it did not know what they were doing and didn't put in a drip pan nor did they umm... I forget the techincal term but the vents were not lined up.)
We came to an agreement with the sellers and so that will be dealt with once closing occurs.
We then met with our loan officer to sign all of the bazillion papers that I didn't understand and still don't understand. That all went well although Derrick said I had a look of shock on my face the whole time -- apparently the thought of agreeing to all of gives me a couple shakes in the knees - not because it's with Derrick but just because... this is BIG.
Then... it happened. Our loan officer was setting up the appraisal and we get the phone call (I was in a math course and couldn't pick up so I emailed back). We were planning on using an FHA loan -- a first time home buyers loan that does not require as much to be put down and you get a lower interest rate. Well an FHA loan has to be approved by the government and although most if not all houses are approved, condos are a different story. There can only be so many renters, only so many FHA loans, blah blah blah. Well, ours from the beginning said it was so we thought we are good to go! WRONG!
The condo place USED to be FHA approced but last year a retaining wall was knocked down from excess rain and they are now doing assessments on the places to fix it. Any time there is assessments on a condo place (whether it is $1 or $1,000) it is NOT approved. The reason for the strictness is they do not foreclosure - obviously. With assessments, being that they are unplanned but required parts of a mortgage, it increases the chances of foreclosure. Until the assessments are done, FHA will not be approved. Well SH*T! NOW WHAT!!?
We have a couple options:
1. The sellers have a current FHA loan. Although we cannot apply for a NEW FHA loan we can assume an old one. The other aspect of an FHA loan is that it is assumable - a buyer can assume the current loan for the current interest rate. Unfortunately for us the sellers interest rate is a 1/4 percent higher than what we were at, but it is equal if not less than the interest rate we would get with a conventional loan. If we can assume their loan (there are legalities of it) we will more than likely do that.
2. Bring more money to closing and do a 95/5 loan. This is our second option and it is just a normal loan. You know the deal.
So... that is where we stand currently. Our realtor and loan officers (yes we now have 2 because we are debating on keeping our old one who is slightly at fault for this overlook) both seem optimistic and say closing will remain on Feb 4 (don't know how that is possible but okay I'll go with it).
All I have to say is... this is not fun. It's stressful, annoying, never ending, and when its all said and done if I don't get keys to our place I might blow a gasket. But... if we do get keys then I will happy as a clam:)
From the beginning of this house hunt I have tried my hardest to not say tooooo much about finding a place or not because I didn't want to jynx myself or get my hopes up. Well once this offer went through on the condo I couldn't help it! It was/is so exciting. I thought for sure the hardest part was over -- all we would have left to do was show up at closing and sign some papers (actually... I didn't even know we showed up, I thought once we signed the contract after the offer was accepted that was all.... oh the things you learn!)
It is amazing to me how many things have to get done all in a matter of a month before closing. Setting up the inspection was the first thing. Derrick wanted to go through with the inspector which was nice for him to be able to hear the guy really scope out everything. Everything came back ready for move in with some minor suggestions. One suggestion being the water heater - although it was okay currently we still wanted to get this fixed because that is just not something to mess around with (whoever installed it did not know what they were doing and didn't put in a drip pan nor did they umm... I forget the techincal term but the vents were not lined up.)
We came to an agreement with the sellers and so that will be dealt with once closing occurs.
We then met with our loan officer to sign all of the bazillion papers that I didn't understand and still don't understand. That all went well although Derrick said I had a look of shock on my face the whole time -- apparently the thought of agreeing to all of gives me a couple shakes in the knees - not because it's with Derrick but just because... this is BIG.
Then... it happened. Our loan officer was setting up the appraisal and we get the phone call (I was in a math course and couldn't pick up so I emailed back). We were planning on using an FHA loan -- a first time home buyers loan that does not require as much to be put down and you get a lower interest rate. Well an FHA loan has to be approved by the government and although most if not all houses are approved, condos are a different story. There can only be so many renters, only so many FHA loans, blah blah blah. Well, ours from the beginning said it was so we thought we are good to go! WRONG!
The condo place USED to be FHA approced but last year a retaining wall was knocked down from excess rain and they are now doing assessments on the places to fix it. Any time there is assessments on a condo place (whether it is $1 or $1,000) it is NOT approved. The reason for the strictness is they do not foreclosure - obviously. With assessments, being that they are unplanned but required parts of a mortgage, it increases the chances of foreclosure. Until the assessments are done, FHA will not be approved. Well SH*T! NOW WHAT!!?
We have a couple options:
1. The sellers have a current FHA loan. Although we cannot apply for a NEW FHA loan we can assume an old one. The other aspect of an FHA loan is that it is assumable - a buyer can assume the current loan for the current interest rate. Unfortunately for us the sellers interest rate is a 1/4 percent higher than what we were at, but it is equal if not less than the interest rate we would get with a conventional loan. If we can assume their loan (there are legalities of it) we will more than likely do that.
2. Bring more money to closing and do a 95/5 loan. This is our second option and it is just a normal loan. You know the deal.
So... that is where we stand currently. Our realtor and loan officers (yes we now have 2 because we are debating on keeping our old one who is slightly at fault for this overlook) both seem optimistic and say closing will remain on Feb 4 (don't know how that is possible but okay I'll go with it).
All I have to say is... this is not fun. It's stressful, annoying, never ending, and when its all said and done if I don't get keys to our place I might blow a gasket. But... if we do get keys then I will happy as a clam:)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Getting involved
I am trying really hard to make Austin my home. I want to get out and do as much as possible and get involved. I haven't reallllly succeeded very well - I blame the house hunting. It really has occupied a ton of my time since November. Pretty much all I have done since moving here is attend a Tri Delta alumni event. I could only attend one because the next one I was busy with house hunting - shocker.
I have yet to meet my goal of running a 5K here... no excuses on that one. I got up to running 3 miles a day and then got really bad pains in my legs and just couldn't run anymore. I plan to run one when the weather starts getting nicer:)
One of Derrick's friends that lives here is married. His wife, Kara, is so funny and sweet and recently invited me to take part in her monthly book club. This month the book we are reading is called "The Hamlet" by William Faulkner. She told me that apparently this is a must read for any southern person. Well.... I have to be honest - I cannot highly recommend this book... or even recommend it at all. It is so hard to understand, hard to follow, too many characters, and I really do not understand the point of it. BUT I am determined to finish it and really want to be part of a book club! I love reading!!
Also over the weekend I began playing tennis again for a league in Austin called CATA. I joined the USTA so if I wanted to I can now play in some tournaments (I might in the summer when I have a lot of extra time). The league is all women and plays on Saturdays beginning in February. Our team is called No Strings Attached (not going to lie... I love NSync and this was the title of one of their albums - sign? I think so!). It is mostly older women who don't work and play tennis all day long at their country clubs. One of my co-workers, Sheri and I, are on the same team and I think we might be the youngest people in the league:) Should help with us winning some matches!
I just love being back on the court. I love tennis outfits - they are so cute. I can actually fit into girls sizes so I found some new skirts for only $7!!! Thank God I can fit into their sizes because the women's ones were $30!
I got the skirt below in white and hot pink too. And yes, in January I went outside to play tennis in a tennis skirt and a fleece jacket, which came off about 10 minutes into playing and just had on a tshirt underneath. Ah the weather in Austin:) (Although... it was 20 degrees last night and it is currently 60 degrees in my apartment because I refuse to turn on the heat knowing I was wearing shorts 5 days ago). I also was sure to tell the ladies on the team that I wear my tennis skirts short - I don't like to have things on touching my legs while playing - and if I could I'd wear a bathing suit hahahaha. I can't help it - the shorter the better for tennis for me (besides... there are shorts underneath so who cares)
So wish me luck - GO NO STRINGS ATTACHED!
I have yet to meet my goal of running a 5K here... no excuses on that one. I got up to running 3 miles a day and then got really bad pains in my legs and just couldn't run anymore. I plan to run one when the weather starts getting nicer:)
One of Derrick's friends that lives here is married. His wife, Kara, is so funny and sweet and recently invited me to take part in her monthly book club. This month the book we are reading is called "The Hamlet" by William Faulkner. She told me that apparently this is a must read for any southern person. Well.... I have to be honest - I cannot highly recommend this book... or even recommend it at all. It is so hard to understand, hard to follow, too many characters, and I really do not understand the point of it. BUT I am determined to finish it and really want to be part of a book club! I love reading!!
Also over the weekend I began playing tennis again for a league in Austin called CATA. I joined the USTA so if I wanted to I can now play in some tournaments (I might in the summer when I have a lot of extra time). The league is all women and plays on Saturdays beginning in February. Our team is called No Strings Attached (not going to lie... I love NSync and this was the title of one of their albums - sign? I think so!). It is mostly older women who don't work and play tennis all day long at their country clubs. One of my co-workers, Sheri and I, are on the same team and I think we might be the youngest people in the league:) Should help with us winning some matches!
I just love being back on the court. I love tennis outfits - they are so cute. I can actually fit into girls sizes so I found some new skirts for only $7!!! Thank God I can fit into their sizes because the women's ones were $30!
I got the skirt below in white and hot pink too. And yes, in January I went outside to play tennis in a tennis skirt and a fleece jacket, which came off about 10 minutes into playing and just had on a tshirt underneath. Ah the weather in Austin:) (Although... it was 20 degrees last night and it is currently 60 degrees in my apartment because I refuse to turn on the heat knowing I was wearing shorts 5 days ago). I also was sure to tell the ladies on the team that I wear my tennis skirts short - I don't like to have things on touching my legs while playing - and if I could I'd wear a bathing suit hahahaha. I can't help it - the shorter the better for tennis for me (besides... there are shorts underneath so who cares)
So wish me luck - GO NO STRINGS ATTACHED!
Our condo... thus far
Alrighty folks here is the long awaited information regarding the condo so HOPEFULLY will soon be ours:)
So on the December 17 Derrick and I made the final decision between 2 condos. One of the condo's was about 10 minutes out of the downtown area, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, nice updated kitchen, full laundry room, and a study that could easily be converted into a 3rd bedroom by adding a door (it already had a closet and window which justifies it for a bedroom). The other one we were looking at was about 2 minutes from downtown, 1/4 mile from the major park here - Zilker Park, backs up to the greenbelt, had a view of the skyline, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, nice kitchen, smaller place. After much debate and back and forth conversation we decided to put in an offer on the one closest to downtown - #128 is what we will call it. We put in a pretty low offer but were prepared for them to counter, us counter, etc. The offer went in on the 19th and I think on the 20th we heard back.
On the 20th we heard that they were not prepared to settle for much below their asking price, which was pretty high considering there were 6 other condos for sale in the complex, and said they were pulling it off the market (liars... it's still up there but whatever - we just screwed them because our offer got accepted 4 condos down).
Derrick and I were in 2 different states at this point so it was hard for us to discuss everything but we managed. We talked about looking at the other condos in the complex and seeing what they had to offer. We LOVED the location - you just can't beat it - and knew that this was where we wanted to be. Although they are on the smaller side, you can't change your location once you buy :)
Back in November when we first started looking at places, the very first day I went out with the realtor we went to 7 condos. The very last one we saw actually ended up being the condo we put the next offer in on. Funny to think back that I could have eliminated over a month of searching if I would've known in the end we would've picked that one. At the time I didn't want it because I felt it was too small -- we thought we wanted a big house. Why? We are only 2 people and half the time it's only me! Plus the houses we would like to buy are currently too far out in areas we don't want to live in so we are taking this as our first place:)
The first time I saw the condo - #124 - it was soo cute from the outside. Adorable entry way and so warm and welcoming. We walked in and everything changed- the kitchen was in desperate need of an update. Old yellowish wallpaper, old cabinets, old counter tops (blue actually), and a pantry that was so odd we just couldn't figure it out. It also was dirty because someone was in the process of moving out and it just didn't feel homey at all. When Derrick and i went back through it on December 29 it was even worse! There was a pile of clothes and junk the size of TX in the middle of living room, cups with water around the place, Christmas presents, and it actually said on the form it was vacant!!! What the heck??
Well we left on the 29th saying no. But... after sitting and taking it all in we thought hey - that crap won't be there. Underneath that junk are nice floors, and the exact same lay out as the other place we wanted. Plus, Derrick is crazy handy and said he could re-do the kitchen. And besides --- you can't beat the location! So we told our realtor to put in an offer.
She put in a super low offer - ready to counter - and on January 3 we got the call --- 1ST OFFER ACCEPTED! They never even countered!! Here are some pics of the place we look forward to calling home when it's all said and done (and boy let me tell you... the experience of buying a house will be blogged about soon and let me just say I cannot wait for this to be over).
Please note --- the pictures below are NOT what we saw when we went to see it. The pictures are what drew us to look at it:)
The adorable entry way:) The window to the left looks out from the kitchen and the window to the right is a guest room bay window.
Back porch area that has 2 entrances - 1 from the living room and 1 from the master. It extends the entire length of our condo and looks out into the greenbelt. We are elevated about 10 feet off the ground so we don't have to worry about people walking around on the same level.
Living room with 1 entrance to the deck. The door to the right enters into the master.
Standing back by where the door to the master was and looking towards the dining room, entry hallway, and through the white doors is the kitchen.
Master bedroom looking out into the greenbelt
Guest bath - we finally have one:) Guests are welcome!!
So on the December 17 Derrick and I made the final decision between 2 condos. One of the condo's was about 10 minutes out of the downtown area, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, nice updated kitchen, full laundry room, and a study that could easily be converted into a 3rd bedroom by adding a door (it already had a closet and window which justifies it for a bedroom). The other one we were looking at was about 2 minutes from downtown, 1/4 mile from the major park here - Zilker Park, backs up to the greenbelt, had a view of the skyline, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, nice kitchen, smaller place. After much debate and back and forth conversation we decided to put in an offer on the one closest to downtown - #128 is what we will call it. We put in a pretty low offer but were prepared for them to counter, us counter, etc. The offer went in on the 19th and I think on the 20th we heard back.
On the 20th we heard that they were not prepared to settle for much below their asking price, which was pretty high considering there were 6 other condos for sale in the complex, and said they were pulling it off the market (liars... it's still up there but whatever - we just screwed them because our offer got accepted 4 condos down).
Derrick and I were in 2 different states at this point so it was hard for us to discuss everything but we managed. We talked about looking at the other condos in the complex and seeing what they had to offer. We LOVED the location - you just can't beat it - and knew that this was where we wanted to be. Although they are on the smaller side, you can't change your location once you buy :)
Back in November when we first started looking at places, the very first day I went out with the realtor we went to 7 condos. The very last one we saw actually ended up being the condo we put the next offer in on. Funny to think back that I could have eliminated over a month of searching if I would've known in the end we would've picked that one. At the time I didn't want it because I felt it was too small -- we thought we wanted a big house. Why? We are only 2 people and half the time it's only me! Plus the houses we would like to buy are currently too far out in areas we don't want to live in so we are taking this as our first place:)
The first time I saw the condo - #124 - it was soo cute from the outside. Adorable entry way and so warm and welcoming. We walked in and everything changed- the kitchen was in desperate need of an update. Old yellowish wallpaper, old cabinets, old counter tops (blue actually), and a pantry that was so odd we just couldn't figure it out. It also was dirty because someone was in the process of moving out and it just didn't feel homey at all. When Derrick and i went back through it on December 29 it was even worse! There was a pile of clothes and junk the size of TX in the middle of living room, cups with water around the place, Christmas presents, and it actually said on the form it was vacant!!! What the heck??
Well we left on the 29th saying no. But... after sitting and taking it all in we thought hey - that crap won't be there. Underneath that junk are nice floors, and the exact same lay out as the other place we wanted. Plus, Derrick is crazy handy and said he could re-do the kitchen. And besides --- you can't beat the location! So we told our realtor to put in an offer.
She put in a super low offer - ready to counter - and on January 3 we got the call --- 1ST OFFER ACCEPTED! They never even countered!! Here are some pics of the place we look forward to calling home when it's all said and done (and boy let me tell you... the experience of buying a house will be blogged about soon and let me just say I cannot wait for this to be over).
Please note --- the pictures below are NOT what we saw when we went to see it. The pictures are what drew us to look at it:)
The adorable entry way:) The window to the left looks out from the kitchen and the window to the right is a guest room bay window.
Back porch area that has 2 entrances - 1 from the living room and 1 from the master. It extends the entire length of our condo and looks out into the greenbelt. We are elevated about 10 feet off the ground so we don't have to worry about people walking around on the same level.
Living room with 1 entrance to the deck. The door to the right enters into the master.
Standing back by where the door to the master was and looking towards the dining room, entry hallway, and through the white doors is the kitchen.
Master bedroom looking out into the greenbelt
Guest bath - we finally have one:) Guests are welcome!!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Fabric/color ideas
Knowing that a condo is in our near future (more to come on this soon I promise) I have gone into decorating mode and cannot stop! I have not bought anything yet other than my trusty new sewing machine which my mom showed me the basics on over my winter break. I did go to JoAnn Fabrics today thought and went on the hunt for some color/pattern ideas. Here are my current thoughts (which have changed 4 times since I started thinking).
In the master bedroom I really want to do the walls a gray.. not too dark not too light... with the blue toile fabric shown below as my curtains and the yellow fabric as my throw pillows. I love the pattern of the yellow fabric and you will see how much I love it because it is also in the other picture below.
For the living room/dining room/hallway entrance (they are all connected) I'm thinking of painting the walls a tan-ish color (that is still in thought... possibly green too). The curtains I am making I want to use the middle fabric - the creme, coral, and green one. Then for accent pillows and possibly an ottoman which I recently found a pattern for I would use the green and "watermelon" as it is called on the name. I love this! It is bright but not overwhelming, still calm and relaxing, and so fun! It's not too girly either right? With my brown/tan furniture and brown tables I think it will look great!
Thoughts??
In the master bedroom I really want to do the walls a gray.. not too dark not too light... with the blue toile fabric shown below as my curtains and the yellow fabric as my throw pillows. I love the pattern of the yellow fabric and you will see how much I love it because it is also in the other picture below.
For the living room/dining room/hallway entrance (they are all connected) I'm thinking of painting the walls a tan-ish color (that is still in thought... possibly green too). The curtains I am making I want to use the middle fabric - the creme, coral, and green one. Then for accent pillows and possibly an ottoman which I recently found a pattern for I would use the green and "watermelon" as it is called on the name. I love this! It is bright but not overwhelming, still calm and relaxing, and so fun! It's not too girly either right? With my brown/tan furniture and brown tables I think it will look great!
Thoughts??
Christmas break in Ohio and Maryland
On the 19th I hopped on my flight and headed off to Ohio. I was sad to leave Mia but at least I wouldn't stress about her adjusting at the boarder (if this is how I am with my dog I can only imagine myself with a child..). My Christmas break and time off from school was anything but relaxing! It was go-go-go (I was with my mom remember...) and I was still traveling even when I got to Ohio.
The first day that I was in Ohio was the most relaxing. My mom made my favorite breakfast, mush (sounds delicious I know), and my grandparents came over to visit. My mom got a Wii, she is so hip isn't she?, and of course she is overly competitive and we played a lot that day. My cousins also came over and we went to the local park and sledded for a bit (about 45 minutes because I was freezing... hey - my body just isn't used to this!).
Mom and I sledding
The cousins sledding - Taylor, Katherine, Madison, and me
That night we went to the lights at the zoo with my grandma, aunt, and cousin, which are beautiful and a holiday tradition.
On Tuesday we went to lunch at Elephant Bar, my old place of employment my final 2 years in college and a great place to eat, with cousins, aunts, and my mom. We then went back and had to get ready to head to Deep Creek the next day. We were heading up there for 1 final time and meeting my sister there to do an early Christmas. My mom and dad bought the house when I was in high school and the house was (and still is) amazing if you live close enough to it. For the past 3 years my friends and I have met up there every Jan/Feb for a long weekend of skiing, snowboarding, drinking, cooking, and fun. Unfortunately, now that I have moved out to TX I will not be using it and it was becoming more of a hassle than enjoyment for my mom so she opted to sell it.
On Wednesday morning off we went to Deep Creek. Oh the joy! As we rounded the corner up the mountain to our house the back end of the truck slipped back and almost slid off the side (shocker... this is another reason we are selling... this came as no surprise to us).
Truck stuck
The house waiting for us...
Mom called a tow truck, they got the car down the driveway, unloaded it, re packed it and the next day drove it back down and did not drive back up. My sister arrived on Thursday, we did an early Christmas with her presents, and enjoyed some more Wii time! Friday morning we woke up, finished packing up the house (ya know... a swing, Christmas tree, dehumidifier, suitcases, presents, the usual) and pulled everything on sleds and walked up the driveway and down the mountain. Needless to say, I loved the house but I will NOT miss the trek through the snow.
Mom riding the Christmas tree down the hill... much easier than walking
The driveway we got to hike up
The beautiful of the ski resort I will miss
We got back on Friday, showered, and headed to my Aunt's houses for Christmas Eve with the family - immediate and extended! It was so awesome to see everyone and it truly reminded me that I was home for Christmas. It felt great to be surrounded by everyone (and to be drinking a bottle of bubbly wine... mmm my favorite and yes I polished it off by my self).
Saturday morning I woke up and Santa came!! My mom and I did presents, showered, headed to Church, came home and did a late breakfast (in hindsight we should've eaten before and done lunch afterwards because I was starved and the fact that the priest's sermon was about the symbolism of food for the holiday didn't help). We then headed over to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner with the family. Another awesome time to visit and hear about everyone's presents and ... play Wii again! My cousins have this awesome dance game that I was slightly obsessed with (until I punched my youngest cousin in the face because I was so into it I didn't see her walking by me... not my fault but still not a fun game after that). My cousins got a ping pong table and my grandpa was quite the hit --- he is a PRO at this game and it was so fun to watch him play like a maniac!! My aunt that was hosting Christmas had her house hit by a tornado earlier in 2010 and it was finally completely redone and looked amazing. It was beautiful to see it put back together and host to Christmas there.
After we left we went driving to look at lights on Christmas night and this is a famous house in my mom's town... lights everywhere!
We headed home early because I had an early flight in the morning (grrr...). On Sunday we woke up early and headed to the airport. It is usually a 45 minute drive to Detroit but the roads were terribly icy and there were accidents all over the road, so it took a bit longer. On top of that we are so smart and assumed that the airport wouldn't be busy so I wasn't giving myself a TON of time. Well come to find out, the day after Christmas ranks right up there for travel with the day before Thanksgiving -- good to know for future references.
I had to check my luggage because I had all of my Christmas presents so I go up to a self check kiosk, check in, and it says to report to the 'BAGGAGE DROP" location to drop off my suitcase and get it tagged. The airport was the definition of insanity and chaos... I had a bad feeling I wasn't going to make it on. The news cameras were there interviewing tons of people because of the chaos. As I walking to drop off my bag I kept passing all of these people waiting in line and I laughed to myself thinking, 'suckers... just go to the self kiosk so you can just go drop off your bag quickly'. U-G-H!! That line that I laughed at was all of smart people that were just waiting to drop off their bag like I needed to do. I walked ALLLLL the way to the end of the line and knew I was not making it on this flight unless I could cut to the front. I overheard someone say the line was 3,000 people deep... I had about an hour till take off. I approached a Delta woman for help and she just pointed me to the back of the line. I waited 5 minutes and approached another one, she so kindly (not she was a B****H) said "Not my problem and I could care less that you will miss your flight. Get back in line. Oops... looks like you just lost your spot". Delta is so friendly don't you think? My final chance was about 20 minutes later a lady was standing by the "cut through" entrance and I asked her if I could go through because my flight was leaving in 30 minutes and she said sorry, no. So there I stood... watching the clock tick. At this moment 4 more agents must have come into work and we started moving. I thought hey -- I might make it! I get up to agent with 20 minutes to spare... she looks at me... shakes her head and says sorry, you're not making your flight. I calmly said I know, can I get out today, anytime I just need to. She checked and said everything was overbooked but I could get on the same flight tomorrow morning - could I do that? I called my mom, she said she'd come back to get me, so the lady booked me for the next day.
So there I was, walking back through all of the people still waiting in line to make their flights and they could see from the look on my face that I was not successful.
My mom and Darrell picked me up, we went to breakfast, and headed home. My mom and I went Christmas decoration shopping and I got about $140 worth of things for $40 for next year:) I'm so excited --- I have a whole color scheme and everything and it's ready to go -- C'mon Christmas 2011!!
The next day I woke up at 3:30 am... no joke... got to the airport around 4:45, stood in line till 6:30, met up with friends and went into the Sky Club as we waited, GOT FIRST CLASS - THANK YOU DELTA AGENT FROM THE DAY BEFORE, and made it home to see my sweet Mia!
My break wasn't over yet though... stay tuned for my New Years in which I made myself famous in New Orleans.
The first day that I was in Ohio was the most relaxing. My mom made my favorite breakfast, mush (sounds delicious I know), and my grandparents came over to visit. My mom got a Wii, she is so hip isn't she?, and of course she is overly competitive and we played a lot that day. My cousins also came over and we went to the local park and sledded for a bit (about 45 minutes because I was freezing... hey - my body just isn't used to this!).
Mom and I sledding
The cousins sledding - Taylor, Katherine, Madison, and me
That night we went to the lights at the zoo with my grandma, aunt, and cousin, which are beautiful and a holiday tradition.
On Tuesday we went to lunch at Elephant Bar, my old place of employment my final 2 years in college and a great place to eat, with cousins, aunts, and my mom. We then went back and had to get ready to head to Deep Creek the next day. We were heading up there for 1 final time and meeting my sister there to do an early Christmas. My mom and dad bought the house when I was in high school and the house was (and still is) amazing if you live close enough to it. For the past 3 years my friends and I have met up there every Jan/Feb for a long weekend of skiing, snowboarding, drinking, cooking, and fun. Unfortunately, now that I have moved out to TX I will not be using it and it was becoming more of a hassle than enjoyment for my mom so she opted to sell it.
On Wednesday morning off we went to Deep Creek. Oh the joy! As we rounded the corner up the mountain to our house the back end of the truck slipped back and almost slid off the side (shocker... this is another reason we are selling... this came as no surprise to us).
Truck stuck
The house waiting for us...
Mom called a tow truck, they got the car down the driveway, unloaded it, re packed it and the next day drove it back down and did not drive back up. My sister arrived on Thursday, we did an early Christmas with her presents, and enjoyed some more Wii time! Friday morning we woke up, finished packing up the house (ya know... a swing, Christmas tree, dehumidifier, suitcases, presents, the usual) and pulled everything on sleds and walked up the driveway and down the mountain. Needless to say, I loved the house but I will NOT miss the trek through the snow.
Mom riding the Christmas tree down the hill... much easier than walking
The driveway we got to hike up
The beautiful of the ski resort I will miss
We got back on Friday, showered, and headed to my Aunt's houses for Christmas Eve with the family - immediate and extended! It was so awesome to see everyone and it truly reminded me that I was home for Christmas. It felt great to be surrounded by everyone (and to be drinking a bottle of bubbly wine... mmm my favorite and yes I polished it off by my self).
Saturday morning I woke up and Santa came!! My mom and I did presents, showered, headed to Church, came home and did a late breakfast (in hindsight we should've eaten before and done lunch afterwards because I was starved and the fact that the priest's sermon was about the symbolism of food for the holiday didn't help). We then headed over to my Aunt's house for Christmas dinner with the family. Another awesome time to visit and hear about everyone's presents and ... play Wii again! My cousins have this awesome dance game that I was slightly obsessed with (until I punched my youngest cousin in the face because I was so into it I didn't see her walking by me... not my fault but still not a fun game after that). My cousins got a ping pong table and my grandpa was quite the hit --- he is a PRO at this game and it was so fun to watch him play like a maniac!! My aunt that was hosting Christmas had her house hit by a tornado earlier in 2010 and it was finally completely redone and looked amazing. It was beautiful to see it put back together and host to Christmas there.
After we left we went driving to look at lights on Christmas night and this is a famous house in my mom's town... lights everywhere!
We headed home early because I had an early flight in the morning (grrr...). On Sunday we woke up early and headed to the airport. It is usually a 45 minute drive to Detroit but the roads were terribly icy and there were accidents all over the road, so it took a bit longer. On top of that we are so smart and assumed that the airport wouldn't be busy so I wasn't giving myself a TON of time. Well come to find out, the day after Christmas ranks right up there for travel with the day before Thanksgiving -- good to know for future references.
I had to check my luggage because I had all of my Christmas presents so I go up to a self check kiosk, check in, and it says to report to the 'BAGGAGE DROP" location to drop off my suitcase and get it tagged. The airport was the definition of insanity and chaos... I had a bad feeling I wasn't going to make it on. The news cameras were there interviewing tons of people because of the chaos. As I walking to drop off my bag I kept passing all of these people waiting in line and I laughed to myself thinking, 'suckers... just go to the self kiosk so you can just go drop off your bag quickly'. U-G-H!! That line that I laughed at was all of smart people that were just waiting to drop off their bag like I needed to do. I walked ALLLLL the way to the end of the line and knew I was not making it on this flight unless I could cut to the front. I overheard someone say the line was 3,000 people deep... I had about an hour till take off. I approached a Delta woman for help and she just pointed me to the back of the line. I waited 5 minutes and approached another one, she so kindly (not she was a B****H) said "Not my problem and I could care less that you will miss your flight. Get back in line. Oops... looks like you just lost your spot". Delta is so friendly don't you think? My final chance was about 20 minutes later a lady was standing by the "cut through" entrance and I asked her if I could go through because my flight was leaving in 30 minutes and she said sorry, no. So there I stood... watching the clock tick. At this moment 4 more agents must have come into work and we started moving. I thought hey -- I might make it! I get up to agent with 20 minutes to spare... she looks at me... shakes her head and says sorry, you're not making your flight. I calmly said I know, can I get out today, anytime I just need to. She checked and said everything was overbooked but I could get on the same flight tomorrow morning - could I do that? I called my mom, she said she'd come back to get me, so the lady booked me for the next day.
So there I was, walking back through all of the people still waiting in line to make their flights and they could see from the look on my face that I was not successful.
My mom and Darrell picked me up, we went to breakfast, and headed home. My mom and I went Christmas decoration shopping and I got about $140 worth of things for $40 for next year:) I'm so excited --- I have a whole color scheme and everything and it's ready to go -- C'mon Christmas 2011!!
The next day I woke up at 3:30 am... no joke... got to the airport around 4:45, stood in line till 6:30, met up with friends and went into the Sky Club as we waited, GOT FIRST CLASS - THANK YOU DELTA AGENT FROM THE DAY BEFORE, and made it home to see my sweet Mia!
My break wasn't over yet though... stay tuned for my New Years in which I made myself famous in New Orleans.
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